To lead or not to lead: exploring how young women's early career experiences impact their leadership ambition

Beaupre, JG (通讯作者),Nichols Coll, Sch Business, Dudley, MA 01571 USA.
2022-10-4
Purpose This paper aims to explore and better understand the workplace experiences of young professional women, as they relate to their leadership ambition. Research has shown that women graduate from college with equal or greater leadership ambition than men. By mid-career, however, a significant gender ambition gap emerges, which may be a contributing factor to the gender leadership gaps that persist across all sectors of the economy. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with young American professional women who excelled and had leadership ambition in college. The theoretical framework is the expectancy-value-cost model of motivation. Findings Analysis reveals a consistent decline in the young women's leadership ambition after entering their professional career, stemming from a general sense of dissatisfaction with their jobs, a lack of connection with their organizations' leadership and culture and an expectation that moving up the ladder would result in a less satisfying personal life. Research limitations/implications Although this study is not statistically generalizable to a broader population, the findings are relevant for colleges and universities that prepare women for their careers, and organizations that seek to recruit and retain female talent. Originality/value By focusing on the experiences of young professional women, this paper contributes to the exploration of gender leadership gaps as well as to the discussion of policies and programs that may contribute to keeping more women in the leadership trajectory.
GENDER IN MANAGEMENT
卷号:37|期号:8|页码:1064-1079
ISSN:1754-2413|收录类别:SSCI
语种
英语
被引频次(WOS)
1
被引频次(其他)
1
180天使用计数
10
2013以来使用计数
12
EISSN
1754-2421
出版年
2022-10-4
DOI
10.1108/GM-11-2021-0344
关键词
Women Women's leadership Ambition Motivation Work life balance Organizational culture Professional development
WOS学科分类
Business Management Women's Studies
学科领域
循证管理学 循证经济学 循证社会学